Navigating mental illness as a care-giver

Note: This article is only a brief introduction to the subject.

Is There Mental Illness?

Is there mental illness? Or is it the devilish work? Or is it a combination of both? Where does sin come into play?  Unfortunately, we think about this problem way too simplistically. We assume that if it is a mental problem, it falls within the purview of psychiatry. If it is Satanic activity, we think that we need to pray more, fast more, or call in an expert pastor who expels demons (mind you, I have nothing against praying more and fasting more).  And when things work out, we feel relieved. When things don’t, understandably, we get exasperated and agitated.  

Here is the complexity of the situation. Because of the fall, 'brokenness' has entered this world. As a result of that, there is not only sin in our hearts, but also we need to deal with suffering as well. Sometimes, suffering can result from our sin.  Sometimes, we suffer because others have sinned against us. And, sometimes, we suffer because of reasons only God knows.

This ‘brokenness’ has permeated all spheres of our lives and the universe. So, the moment we are born, we begin to die. Our bodily organs grow and mature, and they also begin to deteriorate. In addition, life becomes harder because of the unpredictability of circumstances. Someone might get hit by a car or be diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Along the same lines, if you see someone behaving irrationally and answering your questions incoherently, that is a result of the 'fall', too. Broken minds are affected by the fall as much as other parts of the body are.

Do we have a term for repeated aberrant, bizarre, illogical, and sometimes violent manifestations? I don’t see any problem using the word ‘mental’. Medical experts may call them ‘disorders’. Most Bible-believing Christians call it ‘brokenness’. As long as we don’t demean a person and acknowledge that there are some neurological, biological,  and pathological problems in the brain that may result in eccentric behaviors, we can be a little bit flexible with our vocabulary. While every care must be taken in determining whether a struggle has nuerological problems, dismissing there can't be any is unnecessary.

To say that, because we cannot diagnose mental illness the way we do heart or lung diseases, is to deny the external manifestations of mental illness to be fictional or that the struggler is pretending. But here is the catch. Neurological brokenness is never an excuse for sinful behavior. They may be prone to certain sins more than others. Sin in their hearts may even make this ordeal worse. The devil may impose a burden they cannot bear. It may be difficult for them to overcome some sins. They may be more vulnerable to succumbing to certain temptations than others. But, never at any given point in time, is sinful behavior excused. Of course, they need more care. God gives both the caregiver and the struggler special grace to care for and to endure and overcome.

What Can Satan do?

Where does Satan come into play? If you read the scripture, although he is called the prince of this world, he is not sovereign (Job 2:2-7; Matt. 4:1-10). He can wreak havoc in the world (Job 1:16, 17), but he can’t do that without God’s permission (Rom.11:33-36). He may harm or tempt believers, but cannot enter their bodies (Rom. 8:9-11). Meaning, believers cannot be demon-possessed. He may attack or make sin attractive or insert doubts in their minds, and can make life miserable to the believer, but he cannot dwell in the heart just like the Holy Spirit does (Eph. 6:10-16).

The True Source of Transformation

Here is the bottomline. Transformation happens only by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is the means through which the heart, mind, and body will be touched. God is Sovereign.  Medicine and some therapies ( biblically acceptable) may mitigate some negative effects, but they cannot produce transformation within the heart. We are the instruments through whom God’s care, compassion, wisdom, and the Word are communicated.

The Call of the Caregiver

1. If the Lord has called you either through providence or profession, you must remember that it is a privilege to represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember that God has allowed this for some grand and cosmic purposes, though you’re unable to know why right now.

   
   

2. Your goal is to mitigate suffering or help the struggler address it with biblical wisdom.

   
   

3. You need to think about how Jesus would handle this man or woman in this situation.

   
   

4. If the struggler professes to be a Christian, think about how you can slowly expose him to the gospel wealth and God's fatherly care expressed in His Word.

   
   

5. Many who struggle with various mental disorders cannot swallow large portions of scripture. They find it difficult to process information. Some, at least, during the episode. So, preaching exegetical sermons before them is not a good idea. Caregivers must learn to apply the gospel balm gently and wisely to different people with different struggles in different situations.

   
   

6. Encourage small steps of growth over trying for big changes. The goal is to build habits so the person can begin to have regular, small godly routines instead of focusing too much on themselves.

   
   

7. Do not impose your ideas, however creative and novel they may be, without considering whether they are necessary or how they help the struggler spiritually, mentally, and physically.

   
   

8. Please do not have a dismissive attitude towards the struggles. We have no idea what’s going on in his mind. Instead of judging them on whether their behavior aligns with the Word, we must step into their world with a desire to help. What does this help look like? It differs from situation to situation. If the struggles are being vociferous, we must be patient. If he is talking about irrational things, we may not need to correct them immediately. We must just listen. Because one thing leads to another random thing, we must practice to stay quiet. We must limit our words to the fewest possible and be precise. We need God’s grace for that. So we pray.

   
   

9. Christ did not call us to lead our lives on our own. We are exiles in this world. Exiles do not live on their own. They live their lives together. So are we. We are called to live as one body of Christ. Our local church is our family. Sharing our burdens with the local church is a God-given help for both caregivers and the strugglers. On the other hand, local churches cannot view people with mental struggles in their churches as a headache or a liability.

   
   

10. After all, seeing a good Psychiatrist is not a bad idea as long as he understands our Christian convictions to be important. The doctrine of common grace helps us understand how God has bestowed many gifts on us through unbelievers.